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South american VISAS
UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and USA passport holders don’t require a visa for Peru and Bolivia for a stay of less than 90 days.
SA passport holders do not require a visa for Peru for a stay less than 90 days, but DO require one for Bolivia
UK, SA and New Zealand passport holders do not require visas for Brazil, but Australia Canada, USA do and visa fees apply - please check with your local embassy.
As this info can change regularly and at short notice, we recommend that you check with each embassy of the countries you will visit. Visa procurement remain the responsibility of the client and not that of GOBUS.
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voltage
Plug types and voltages vary throughout each country in South America. Please see www.kropla.com/electric2 for a visual guide.
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health advice
Please see your doctor or travel clinic for an up to date list of all recommended vaccinations for the regions you will be travelling. In general we recommend that you are vaccinated against Tetanus-diphtheria, polio, hepatitis A & B, Tuberculosis, Typhoid and if travelling to a jungle area or Iguassu falls - yellow fever. There is a malarial risk in the Amazon and parts of Peru, Bolivia and Brazil, so please check with your health care professional as to the best and most up to date remedy for this mosquito borne disease. If you believe you will come into contact with animals and will be away from medical care, enquire into a rabies vaccine. It is not recommended that you drink the water in any of the countries we visit. Purchase, boil, filter or use iodine pills to purify the water you drink.
Vaccination procurement remains the responsibility of the client and not that of GOBUS.
Personal first-aid kit
You should also pack your own first-aid kit, for treatment of common ailments such as nicks and grazes, insect bites, upset stomachs and diarrhoea. Items such as Aspirin, Ibuprofen, throat lozenges, anti-diarrhoea medication such as Lomotil or Imodium, antiseptic ointment or powder, rehydration powders, multi-vitamins, Band-Aids, gauze dressings, sunscreen, anti bacterial wipes and waterless handwash and any personal medicines used regularly such as oral contraceptives, Ventolin inhalators etc. should be considered for your personal first-aid kit.
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climate
As South America spans from the Equator to the Polar region, broadly speaking you may encounter anything from the tropical humidity of Ecuador right through to the icy conditions of Tierra Del Fuego and the Antarctic. Additionally, the climate is also affected by your altitude. If you are visiting the Ecuador and Peruvian Andes and/or the Bolivian Altiplano expect things to be chilly with bouts of rain and sun - please pack to cover all manner of conditions. The lower coastal regions of Ecuador and the Galapagos, as well as the Amazon, are more tropical in nature so will be warmer and stickier. The coastal Peruvian towns south of Lima towards Arequipa possess a dry warm climate so are more Mediterranean in feel – however clear nights can still be cold. Summer is from December to February and winter is from June to August.
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FOOD, glorious food!
Standard traveller fare is available throughout the continent and though not innovative, servings for the most part, are generous and you will find it easy to soon have your fill of pasta, pizza or egg dishes.
Of course there are exceptions. Cuzco, possibly due to its large international population, has some establishments which are worth the hunt. Wander the cobbled alleys and you may stumble across some excellent and new-modern food more reminiscent of the western café than the Peruvian Andes.
Each country has it’s specialty – for instance Peru has it ubiquitous though questionable speciality of cuy (guinea pig).
If vegetarian, the choice will be small and limited; perhaps tomato based pasta or cheese empanadas. In many tourist centres, a Chinese Restaurant may be on hand and probably the best place for you to find the largest range of dishes without meat.
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time
Bolivia is 4hrs behind GMT, Peru 5hrs. There are 3 time zones in Brazil. The time in most of Brazil visited by foreign tourists is three hours behind Greenwich Mean Time.
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money
It is advised that you take a range of methods to access your money while travelling. Hard USD cash, traveller’s cheques, debit and credit cards – this will ensure that you will always have access to funds. Be aware that your credit or debit card may not always work - check with your bank. If exchanging money, ensure that the denominations are small and all notes are clean and unmarked. Traveller's cheques can be difficult to exchange and there can often be very high commissions charged in South America.
We recommend you have access to $200 emergency fund. This may need to be used when circumstances outside our control (ie: natural disaster) necessitate a change to our planned route – this is a rare occurrence but a safe guard.
Please refer to individual goguides for a guide to how much money to allow for additional food and the cost of any optional activities. |
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This short tour of Egypt takes in all the best sites in 9 intoxicating days. Visit the Pyramids, sail down the Nile, check out amazing Abu Simbel and explore the Valley of the Kings!
